The Other Side of the Bed (2002)

This movie is very reminiscent of American sit-coms such as Friends, with only minimal character development and some halfway decent comedy, but then someone decided it would be a good idea to make it into a musical.Why, oh why?! Quite apart from the badly-choreographed, fetishised female dancing sequences, the actors can't sing! The songs seem to encroach on the plot rather than aid it, and the fact that the songs are often shot in a different location (with completely different lighting, mise-en-scene etc) from the preceding and following scenes makes the film as a whole seem disjointed.The time spent on the musical numbers would have been better used to provide a little more character development - after all, the film boasts an impressive cast, but sadly their talents are not exploited to their full potential.

Emilio Martinez Lazaro, the director of this romantic comedy with music, is a man that appears to be in tune with what is going on with young people in Spain. He presents them in the form of a sophisticated circle of friends inter connected in a lot of ways. This film is light, in sharp contrast with other Spanish movies, whose directors believe they must deal with heavy themes that deal in politics, or the civil war or other local matters that have no appeal to a world audience.The only thing wrong with the film are the many songs the director, and his screen writer, David Serrano, insist in having the characters sing at key moments of the action. The songs are just plain horrible!The director had the good sense to cast Paz Vega, one of the most beautiful actresses from Spain, in the role of Sonia. She and Ernesto Alterio, make a nice couple. Also, Guillermo Toledo is excellent as Pedro. Natalia Verbeke, Alberto San Juan and Maria Esteve also contribute to make the film enjoyable.The director shows promise, as his next film will probably prove.

Difficult to know the reason why somebody would like to make a movie as dull and tasteless as this film. Is not funny but sad to see how an empty story goes just showing characters and scenes without any meaning at all.The best is the end just because we can just forget quickly this silly and sleepy film. The worst is the music, awful songs! Maybe they tried to copy Dancing in the Dark? The Spanish version? Is it this a version of the Dogma in the Iberian style? Whatever this movie try to be is a total failure.

Greetings again from the darkness. What a delightful, odd romp of a film this is! Romantic Comedy is not the full label as the dramatic twists and musical interludes give the film a full body effect. Focusing on the male leads, Javier and Pedro, we are offered a glimpse into the insecurities of men in relationships. Both actors are excellent and Guillermo Toledo is truly remarkable as the hang-dog Pedro who has every reason to experience low self-esteem. Many outright hilarious moments and quite a few poignant ones as well. Paz Vega ("Sex with Lucia") dominates the screen in her scenes and has the female 6th sense to know what is happening even before it does! Let's just say most American filmgoers will struggle a bit with the pace of the film as the musical interludes purposefully keep one off balance. I will say the singing and dancing is comically bad, but I assume it was meant to be. If not, I don't want to know! Definitely one to check out when you are in the mood for something a little different.